


end of the line

by sourlemonblue



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Charity Auctions, Emotional Constipation, HQ Rarepair Bang 2020, Just Remember Kids—Communication Is Key, M/M, Multi, VERY minor prostitution????, a sprinkle of angst, defo took a month instead of my median of 4 years, i wrote this SO FAST yo, might do a sequel where they date daichi bc I'm A Disaster and i love him, moniwa's there for half a second, please do NOT copy to other sites or apps, terus not the one getting paid and they all consent so does it count??????
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:47:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23511835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sourlemonblue/pseuds/sourlemonblue
Summary: And they’re bidwarring for a date with him? Now that’s an ego boost.Bokuto stands from his seat, spinning to look at Kuroo, who is still on his phone. “Bro, I’m right here, bro,” he says, making Kuroo look up and smile deviously.“Did you think I would give up without a fight, bro? $150,” Kuroo leers, lips parting in a grin too sharp to be considered friendly.Bokuto returns the smile with a bit of a sunnier touch. “It’s more fun if you don’t give up at all, bro. $160.”“$175. What do you mean, bro?”“Well, bro-meo,” Bokuto sings, “if we pool our money at, say, $200, then we can go splitskies and share. What do you say broseph?”Wait...what?A date with Terushima is being auctioned off to benefit the local animal shelter. As if things couldn't get weirder, two (hot) guys from his university get into a bidding war, until one of them gets a bright idea. God gave Teru two hands, but...can his heart handle it?(art by https://springpalettes-art.tumblr.com)
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Terushima Yuuji
Comments: 14
Kudos: 154
Collections: HQ Rarepair Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay, im SO fuckin jazzed to be able to finally post this. this has been done since the end of january and ive just been sitting on it to wait for the post date.
> 
> prompt was initially by kou (joshllyman @ ao3), and then i realised that this would totally qualify for the rpbb, so i applied!
> 
> i worked with spring_palettes (springpalettes-art @ tumblr, spring_palette @ instagram) for this bang, and im absolutely in love with the pieces they made!!!! i'll be sure to link to their post soon! ♥
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pQH_0gWdq/?igshid=18reuj9dwszhz  
> she picked the scene from the beginning of ch 2 and HOLY SHIT go give her SO MUCH LOVE
> 
> thank you to the mod team for working with us on this project—im excited to read everyone else's pieces and see all the beautiful art!!!!

“C’mon, guys! Open your hearts! This is for _charity!_ ” Suga is just as charismatic as ever, but even his soothing voice ringing out over the speakers can’t do much for a bunch of broke college kids who barely have a dollar to their own names.

Of all the things he would have expected to be doing on a Saturday morning, this was not one of them. Terushima is seated backstage, behind the ratty crimson curtains of the school’s run-down auditorium. He fiddles with the barbell piercing in his tongue and Terushima brings his wrist up to check the time—9:44 AM.

It’s been slow-going all morning, what with the current financial state of most of the crowd, as well as the lack of professional exposure of a sport like volleyball. Sugawara is a good salesman—could talk a free bird into cage insurance—but even he isn’t having luck rousing the attendees.

“ _Sold!_ To the gentleman in the tan jacket,” Suga calls, smacking the podium Teru knows he’s standing behind. Of course there is no gavel. Who would give a man like Sugawara Koushi a _gavel?_ He would wreak havoc.

He’s jolted out of his thoughts as the event manager taps him on the shoulder, grabbing his elbow gently. It’s Moniwa, he thinks, one of the old captains from Date Tech.

“Ready to go?” Moniwa murmurs, eyes flicking back and forth between the small opening in the curtains and Terushima himself. He’s nervous; shit, are they running late?

“Shit, did I miss my cue?” Terushima says, quiet as he can manage as he jumps to his feet.

Moniwa shakes his head vigorously. “No, no,” he murmurs, gaze still shifty. “I’m just wondering how the crowd will take what you’re offering.”

Terushima’s stomach drops. He hasn’t been thinking about it too hard, but it’s the truth.

“Anyway,” Moniwa says, grimacing up at him as Suga introduces the next item up for auction. “You’re on.”

Teru nods, and moves back the curtain, stepping onto stage next to Suga. Reflexively, a smug grin crosses his face, and he makes it work in his favor. _After all, the people want to know what they’re buying._

“Please welcome your future date, _Terushima Yuuji!_ ”

There is an immediate burst of whispering in the crowd, and Terushima can’t help the flip of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He likes himself well enough, but he fears judgement just like anybody else would.

Reflexively, he flicks his tongue out, clicking the barbell against his top teeth, and even more hushed voices billow up around him. That is a bit more of an ego boost, if Terushima is taking it correctly, and he relaxes into himself slightly as Suga starts the bidding—for a night on the town, with him—at $50.

Whatever happens here, he reminds himself, at least it’ll be quite the story to tell his mom when he’s home for the summer.

Terushima barely hears it, but a cute brunette in the front row raises to $55, and a shout calls out a few rows past her to bring it to $60. Then $70, then $80. Suga barely even has to prompt the crowd to continue the bidding.

At least it seems to be going well.

Something’s weird though. Squinting, Terushima can kind of see a tall dark-haired guy leaning against the back wall of the auditorium, typing furiously into his phone. Almost absentmindedly, he raises his hand for a hundred, and Terushima grins, unable to quell the amazement rising up in his features. He looks familiar from someplace, but Terushima can’t place it...

At that, most of the other bidders have died off—who in university really has $100 lying around?—until one more guy with white-gray hair spiked to the sky raises his hand and shouts, “$125!” like he’s calling for a toss.

Wait—that voice? That hair??

_Bokuto Koutarou_ , captain and ace of the university volleyball team?!

Teru can’t help a smirk in surprise as the tall person against the back wall bids again, and something clicks. That’s _Kuroo Tetsurou_ , shit, when did this become a volleyball star showcase? Terushima hasn’t played in years, and even _he_ knows who these guys are. Offense-defense chaos duo, smokin’ hot, _maybe_ dating, never disclosed. They’re responsible for quite the tally of wins, losses, and broken hearts between them.

And they’re bidwarring for a date with _him_? Now that’s an ego boost.

Bokuto stands from his seat, spinning to look at Kuroo, who is still on his phone. “Bro, I’m right here, bro,” he says, making Kuroo look up and smile deviously. 

“Did you think I would give up without a fight, bro? $150,” Kuroo leers, lips parting in a grin too sharp to be considered friendly.

Bokuto returns the smile with a bit of a sunnier touch. “It’s more fun if you don’t give up at all, bro. $160.”

“$175. What do you mean, bro?”

“Well, bro-meo,” Bokuto sings, “if we pool our money at, say, _$200_ , then we can go splitskies and share. What do you say broseph?”

Wait...what?

“Well, bromine, it seems you’ve been thinking about this. Alright, I’ll bite. Color me interested.”

Terushima is losing his nerve; he’s still stuck way back at the ‘sharing’ part. Are these two even involved like that? _They never confirmed it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve fooled around before…_ Terushima is quaking in his boots at the idea of _both_. He had never considered it, but now that it’s on the table, he’s...he can’t seem to let the idea pass him by.

He looks to Suga, who has been watching him carefully since the two Chaos Emeralds began their debate in the seats below. Terushima shrugs as minutely as he can manage. What the hell, right? He really hopes this goes well.

“...I get the win though,” Bokuto finishes with a sly quirk to his lips, and Kuroo groans in defeat obviously enough that Terushima is in no way fooled into thinking Kuroo has actually lost.

“Going once...twice…” Suga says, but there’s a finality to the room, like everyone already knows how this particular story ends.

“ _Sold_!” Suga smacks the podium again, and gestures to Kuroo and Bokuto. “But if I hear the word ‘bro’ again, I might take it back.”

That draws a laugh from the crowd, and Terushima smiles and saunters backstage again, trying to quell the shake in his legs.

Hey, more money for the animal shelter, he guesses, even if the expense is his own time, and maybe sanity. Might as well make it a night to remember.

* * *

After the rest of the event, Terushima meets with Bokuto and Kuroo.

“Hey,” Teru starts, trying to get things off the ground with a solid handshake.

Kuroo reaches for his hand first, but Bokuto elbows him out of the way, grasping Terushima’s hand first. “Move, bro—hey, I’m Bo—”

“ _You_ move,” Kuroo elbows back, and Terushima can’t tell if they’re joking or not. “Kuroo Te—”

Bokuto, of course, doesn’t take very kindly to that, and shoves Kuroo away. “Tetsu, stop it, he’s gonna think we’re weird—I’m Bokuto Ko—”

Kuroo responds similarly, and hisses like a damned cat. “Yeah, well your _face_ is weird—” and then, horrifyingly enough, he starts smacking at Bokuto, and Bokuto bats back, until the whole thing devolves into a whole ass slap fight right in front of Terushima.

“Holy shit, okay,” Terushima sighs to himself, scrubbing at his hair for a moment. “I already know you both. Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san, right?”

They stop hitting each other, turning to look at him; Kuroo looks surprised by his knowledge, and Bokuto looks like he has stars in his eyes. “You know who I am?!”

With the full force of Bokuto’s happiness on him, Terushima shuffles his feet. “Yeah, I played in high school. My team never made it to Nationals, but I saw a few matches on TV. Fukurodani and Nekoma, right?”

Bokuto puffs up even more, and Kuroo seems to relax into the satisfaction that Teru isn’t like, stalking them or something.

They set a date for next Saturday, in the early afternoon because Kuroo ‘wants the most out of his hundred bucks’, and Terushima isn’t opposed. Bokuto is practically wagging his tail like a puppy the whole time, and Teru heads back home with each of their numbers in his phone, strolling through campus with a smile on his face.

* * *

It’s Saturday morning, a week from the auction, and Terushima knows in his head that it’s dumb to be nervous for a date he doesn’t have real stake in—

(does he not? has he deluded himself that much?)

—but here he is, bustling around his apartment, full of stupidly restless energy as he brushes his teeth and picks out a potential outfit and throws it across the room and picks another and throws that one too and—

God dammit, he’s not getting anywhere.

_The first impulse is usually the correct one,_ Terushima tells himself, then repeats it out loud for good measure. “The first one was fine.”

The second option was a bit more comfy-casual—joggers and a sweatshirt—but Terushima chooses the first for a more clean-cut look. Dark-wash jeans, a nice mustard-orange sweater with a light-colored shirt underneath, and his dressy pair of ankle boots. He’ll take a big puffy scarf with him, mostly for the aesthetique™, and throws on the brown peacoat his mom got for him the last time he was home. Terushima double-checks his hair in the mirror, tousles the scarf around his neck, and pops out the door before he can change his mind again.

_**Terushima** : omw _

_**Bokuto** : oh hell ya!!!!!!!!!! SEE U SOON _

_**Kuroo** : you still got the address ? _

_**Terushima** : yeah thx _

He’s lucky for a short walk, and knocks at Bokuto and Kuroo’s shared apartment soon enough.

The door is flung open, and Kuroo yells, “Ayyy!” in a fratboy voice, and they both retreat into the warmth of the apartment. Terushima takes a quick glance around—and it’s not as messy as he would have guessed for a pair of busy jock dudes. There’s a few dirty mugs on the counter, and other little stuff, but there’s no piles of gross shit or socks on the lampshades or anything.

Bokuto busts out of what Terushima assumes is the bathroom, with a sizeable cloud of steam in pursuit. “Oh shiiiiit!” he calls jovially, pointing at Terushima with one hand, and crossing under it to point at Kuroo with the other. Teru waves a little, and can feel a blush warm his cheeks as he sees Bokuto in just his boxers with a towel thrown over his shoulder, hair still damp.

“Bo…” Kuroo murmurs, and there’s something so heartbreakingly fond in his voice that Terushima realises, all at once, that maybe they never dated, but there’s never been anything short of love between them.

“Oh, shit, sorry, hold on,” Bokuto stumbles over himself to change in his bedroom, slamming the door shut, and the moment leaves as soon it comes—with Bokuto and the damp heat of cleanliness.

Some worrying thumps sound off from behind the closed door, along with a few curses, but Bokuto emerges, towel-drying his hair the rest of the way before shoving a gray beanie down over his head. He’s got gray joggers and Vans and a navy-and-white raglan that’s maybe—

“Oh my god, bro, is that my shirt?!” Kuroo whines.

—a little tight in the shoulders.

Terushima snorts a quick laugh, and Bokuto pouts. “I thought this one was mine!”

“Dude, on what planet does that even _remotely_ fit you?!” Kuroo gestures wildly.

Bokuto picks up an arm and flexes a little, checking. “I mean...it looks fine to me…?”

_Arm. Muscles. Strong_ , Terushima’s mind drones, before he blurts, “Yeah I think it’ll work.”

That draws a chuckle out of Kuroo, who starts shepherding them out the door, but stops abruptly. “Bro, where’s your coat?? It’s, like, 40. And _windy_.”

“You know me, bro,” Bokuto shrugs, hands in his pockets. “I’m always warm.”

Terushima’s about to make some comment about cuddling up next to him, but Kuroo protests. “Even _you_ get cold when the windchill is _below freezing_ , Bo. At least go get a sweatshirt. I’ll carry it if you get too hot, somehow.”

“Fiiiiiiine,” Bokuto says, style clearly cramped with the addition of something utilitarian. He slinks back inside.

“Ugh,” Kuroo scoffs, “men.”

Terushima snorts, and Bokuto returns just in time to see his laughter. Shit, that’s embarrassing.

“ _Bro._ ” Bokuto sounds reverent, and it startles Teru out of his giggle fit.

“What?”

“ _Bro, I know,_ ” Kuroo chokes back, and Terushima is still thoroughly in the dark. Both their eyes are on him, but it doesn’t _seem_ like they’re making fun of him, so he lets it go for now.

Then, Terushima takes a closer look at the red sweatshirt Bokuto had grabbed from inside, tight in the shoulders, with _Nekoma High School_ across the front in white.

Kuroo’s anguished cry startles a flock of birds making its way south for the winter.

* * *

They get coffee first, because that’s one of the only sensible things to do outside when it’s cold, but not freezing. Kuroo gets a mocha, Bokuto gets something cold (he’s clearly insane) with way too much whipped cream, and Terushima gets a dirty chai because he’s a tease. He’s sure to give each of them a healthy dose of sensual eye contact as he says the world ‘dirty’. The cashier is blushing too, when Teru turns back, so he thinks he made his point.

They sit and chat in the coffee shop for a while, and end up on, of all topics, Pokemon.

“I’m _literally_ Rowlet,” Bokuto squawks, not unlike the bird he emulates, and it makes Terushima laugh. “If I had to pick an Eeveelution though, probably Leafeon.”

Kuroo sips from his cup, and leans away for a moment. “Teru, which one do you think I am?”

This...feels like a test if you ask Terushima. “Uhh...maybe Espeon? You seem like a thinker. I get a lot of Umbreon vibes from you too, but that just might be your hair…and your name...”

Bokuto snorts into his cup, getting cream on his nose, and Terushima feels like he’s won something. Kuroo laughs too, and leans over with a napkin to get the whipped topping off Bokuto’s nose. “Not a bad answer,” he says, attention still on Bokuto, “for a Jolteon.”

Bokuto bats Kuroo’s hands away, seizing the napkin for himself, as Terushima rolls his eyes dramatically. “Excuse you, I’m a majestic motherfucker—that’s Sylveon to you.”

Bokuto laughs so hard he gets whipped cream actually _up_ his nose this time, and they make enough noise that they’re given some weird looks from the other patrons and the workers behind the counter.

They are just deciding that maybe a crowded coffee shop isn’t the best possible location for this particular energetic debate when Kuroo’s phone makes a very specific beep-y noise, and his eyes widen. “Oh shit. It’s Community Day,” he says, and Bo is whipping out his own device like a man on a mission.

“Oh shit!” Bokuto repeats, mimicking Kuroo’s expression.

“Oh shit,” Terushima says, not wanting to feel left out. He pulls his own phone out, prepared to kill his whole phone battery for the cause. “You two play?”

“Absolutely,” Kuroo smirks, fluffing his bedhead. “Best team Valor, represent.”

“Uhhh, no way, bro.” Bokuto rolls his eyes, a gesture that seems foreign on his face, like it’s more Kuroo’s than it is his own. “Clearly Instinct is the best team. Spark is my dad.”

“Yeah, I’m with Bo on this one,” Terushima says, shrugging. “You’re outvoted, Kuroo.”

He gets a strong Bokuto high-five, and a beaming smile. The sun shines a little brighter, highlighting the amber in Bo’s eyes. A shiver runs down Terushima’s spine, but it doesn’t carry the cold with it; quite the contrary, if he’s being honest with himself.

“Whatever,” Kuroo scoffs playfully, rubbing his hands together. “You guys are going down either way.”

“We should totally go walk around the park! It’s not that cold!” Of course Bokuto would think that...even wearing only a sweatshirt.

“Of course _you_ would think that,” Kuroo sniffs, and there’s something about their shared thoughts and the conflicted expression on Kuroo’s face that just steals Terushima’s breath for a moment. His emotions aren’t as obvious on his face as Bokuto’s tend to be, but, really, whenever he sees Kuroo’s mouth move just right, he kind of wants to kiss him.

Woah. Wait.

Kissing?? Terushima isn’t usually someone who enjoys kissing people he doesn’t already have feelings for.

He turns to look at Bokuto, who is shining between them, gaze flicking back and forth between Kuroo and Teru excitedly. Terushima kind of wants to lean forward, and see how that smile would change when Teru would press his own against—

_Oh god,_ he thinks, biting the shit out of his lower lip. _Already?_

“I guess I’m down,” Kuroo says. “Whatcha thinking, Teru?”

Terushima has a quiet moment, as their collective attention settles fully on him. He can feel the weight of it warm on his cheeks, and tingle at his lips.

“Sure. Let’s do it,” he says, and the future cold is worth their present smiles.

* * *

They pick a park that’s close to campus, with nature trails and a good variety of walking paths. Despite it being so late in the year, everything is vibrantly colored and bright, and though the cold nips more often than not, it’s worth it to hear Kuroo and Bokuto shout happily when they find shinies or catch a rare Pokemon. Terushima laughs every time they lose their shit, and by the time they get too cold to keep walking, his gut is aching, and his face hurts with the smile he’s had since they left the shop.

Terushima’s phone battery is running low—just like he knew it would—so he asks for a pitstop.

“The library?” Bokuto repeats, tipping his head.

“Yeah, if it’s okay…” Terushima says, biting his lip. “I got an email about some reserved books coming in too, so I’ll have to go anyway. We don’t have to be there long, my phone charges pretty fast, but—”

“Let’s do it!” Kuroo says, smiling in that vaguely feral way of his. He’s backlit by the sun for just a moment, and Terushima feels blown back _again_.

They begin the trek, and Terushima is reminded again of how fortunate he is. This whole “arranged date” thing could have gone really, _really_ badly, but it hasn’t. It’s actually one of the best dates he’s ever been on, and a lot of it is thanks to the people he’s with. Bo and Kuroo are cool guys, but sweet, and intelligent, and they have so much _depth_ that Teru’s inquisitive nature keeps pushing to find out more and more about them.

Plus, y’know, they’re hot as hell, so there’s that.

Even if they never see each other after this, it’ll still be a really good story to tell his mother the next time he visits home.

Terushima’s stomach drops at that possibility, and he tries to ignore it.

The looming structure of the library is usually intimidating, but Terushima knows it as an old friend. He does a lot of auxiliary research for his low-level chemical engineering class, and usually does his part for his TA grading group here.

Maybe he’s a total nerd, but like...who cares.

...Apparently, Kuroo.

He lays eyes on one of Terushima’s reserves, and brightens up to Bokuto’s level. “Oh shit, you’re interested in _James Trefil?!_ I’m more of a Robert Hazen guy, because of how he relates to my actual area of study, but Trefil has some pretty cool stuff too! A friend of mine is an astronomy major, and we end up in discussions all the time. It’s super cool that you’re into stuff like that!!”

Terushima looks down at _Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond_ , up to Kuroo, back down to the book, back up at him. His jaw _drops_.

_Idiot,_ he hears in Hana-chan's manager voice, something warm and glowing spreading through his stomach and chest, _never judge a book by its cover._

Then Bokuto, who had drifted off towards the media area, pokes back around the corner, and adds, “Oh, Hazen? I saw a video lecture by him!! He’s cool. I like his books too. The way he writes is super easy to listen to. A little information-heavy, but it _is_ nonfiction, I guess…”

“Oh,” Terushima says, like the floor is dropping out from under him.

“I mean, my major is childhood ed, but part of the reason why I like teaching is because I also love learning, when I can. My, uh…” He hesitates, and Kuroo steps close, hand on his arm in silent support. “My ADHD makes it a little complicated, but it just gives me another way to relate to the kids, and help them when they need it.”

Terushima melts a little more, and it probably shows on his face, but he doesn’t care. They’re _amazing_ , and it shows in so much of what they do.

* * *

Terushima gets his phone charged up to a reasonable level and checks out his books, so they decide to head out. 

“We should get dinner,” Terushima says, and Bokuto nods insistently. Kuroo smiles softly, and Teru has an inkling—he hopes beyond anything that he’s right—

Maybe they don’t want today to end either.

They end up at a family-run barbeque place across the street from an izakaya at Bokuto’s request. It’s been a while since Terushima has gotten yakiniku, and he’s fidgeting as he looks over the menu. Bokuto has been bouncing happily from across the table since they sat down, but Kuroo is perusing the selections like any other patron.

“Everything okay?” Kuroo murmurs to him, nudging Terushima’s shoulder with his own. His concern looks genuine at least.

Terushima debates telling him what’s really on his mind, but pauses. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, but he also doesn’t want to lose this.

_‘This’?_ He thinks, pursing his lips, eyes on the table. _What the hell am I talking about? It’s one date, there isn’t anything here!!! Just because I—_

“Oh, is it the lizards?” Kuroo says, arm coming around to rest on Terushima’s opposite shoulder.

What? “The what?”

“The lizards.” Kuroo’s mouth turns in sympathy. “The shitty voices in your head that say mean things. That’s what me and Bo call them.”

Terushima just looks at him, really _looks_ . There’s apprehension there, coupled with resolve and concern like before, and maybe, _maybe_ , Terushima isn’t the only one.

The static of noise around them from the other customers in the restaurant coaxes a quiet truth out of Terushima.

“I guess…”

Kuroo wets his lips, and inhales. “...You don’t have to talk about it, but I’m willing to listen if you need me to.”

Bokuto has stopped bouncing for a moment, and looks across at them curiously. “...Lizards?” he asks, sounding small.

Teru nods jerkily, an unbidden reaction. There’s something about these two that just brings the truth right out of him. He has whole personas crafted in defense of situations like these, ‘quietly aloof’, ‘loud and attention-grabbing’, ‘scathingly severe’...and somehow these two guys that he’s known for _maybe_ a day are already stripping all of it away like the walls aren’t even there.

“What are you guys getting?” he bites out, not bothering to disguise the change in topic as anything other than a distraction.

“Oh!” Bokuto crows, re-enthused. “I’m getting pork and beef! The sausage here is pretty good too, but I love my classics!”

Kuroo smirks at him. “Of course you would say that.”

Bo looks confused for a moment, but then flushes. “Bro, oh my god!!! You can’t just say stuff like that!!!”

“You started it,” Kuroo laughs, moving his arm back to his side. Terushima shivers slightly as the front door opens, as a chilly breeze whips through the restaurant. A few people stumble in, obviously drunk, from the izakaya across the street.

There’s two girls, and two guys, so the crowd isn’t huge, but the ladies are cackling with raucous laughter over something, and one of the dudes calls, “Waitress! Come serve us!!”

Already, they’re taking up more auditory space than is their share, and Terushima is pulled away from his bad thoughts just long enough to be pissed at them.

It’s got to show on his face, because the guy who had been quiet addresses him from their table across the room. “What, blondie, got a problem?” The asshole lights up, despite the no smoking signs, and the protests of the waitress.

Terushima can smell the cigarette smoke from here. He’s never minded it before, used to smoke menthols himself, but on a group so obnoxious, it wears on his patience like a physical pressure against his sinuses.

As much as Teru wants to jump up and deal this asshole a piece of his mind...he’s picking his battles this time. He’s got muscle on him, but he’s not super intimidating. It feels like cowardice, but he looks away from the rowdy bunch.

That’s not enough for Kuroo and Bokuto, though. They stand slowly, letting every inch of their hardened physiques speak for them, until they do.

“There’s only a problem if you’ve got one.” Kuroo cuts an intimidating figure, tall and lean, but the grace of an athlete scorned flowing through every inch of him.

“So? ‘ _Got a problem_ ’?” Bokuto sneers. He’s a mountain of stereotypical strength, broad, muscles everywhere, and it wouldn’t be so jarring if Terushima hadn’t already spent the day getting to know both of them—but he has, and so the difference between those versions of them and these is like night and day, but two sides of the same coin.

( _That’s how,_ Terushima’s brain screeches. _That’s how they saw through me so quickly. They have masks of their own._ )

They’re turned away from Terushima now, but the faces of the people across the restaurant tell him all he needs to know. The two girls have stopped talking and laughing, and have settled on staring, mouths slightly agape. The first guy’s eyebrows are hanging out near the fluorescent lighting, and the second dude’s jaw is tight, sullenly defensive.

“Yeah, chill,” one of the girls says. “I’ll dump you if we get kicked out of _another_ good restaurant.”

“Che. Whatever,” the second guy scoffs, but he puts out his cigarette, and equilibrium is restored.

Kuroo and Bokuto sit back down, and Kuroo scratches his nose. Awkwardness settles as Bokuto shifts in the booth.

“Holy shit,” Terushima blurts. “You guys protected my honor.”

They each blush, and Terushima has a feeling that this is too much power to give one person.

The waitress tries to give them their meals for free in thanks, but they give her the money anyway.

“If you refuse to let us pay for it, then consider it a tip and just split this with whoever else is here tonight. All you folks are doing good work.” Bokuto smiles, and the waitress blushes. Terushima knows how she feels, caught up in the sunniness of Bokuto Koutarou.

They’re on their way out the door soon after, but not without a pointed “you folks have a good night” directed at the small group, still in the corner of the restaurant. They don’t rise to the bait, thank god, and Kuroo, Bokuto, and Terushima kick out of there before they can change their minds.

Terushima had been mostly joking about them preserving his honor, but really, that’s exactly what happened.

“Thanks for that. You guys had ‘em scared shitless.”

Kuroo chuckles into the dark, and Terushima doesn’t miss the menacing look he trades with Bokuto in the half-light of their walk home. “It’s no trouble,” Kuroo murmurs. “Just trying to keep the peace. Sorry if it put you off.”

In what universe would that put _anyone_ off? “No. No way. Kinda the opposite, really.”

The honesty surprises them, Terushima thinks. Kuroo chuckles abortively, and Bokuto’s smiling brighter than the streetlamps they’re walking by. “Yeah?” he says, in that pleased tone of his that sings for him.

“Yeah,” Terushima hums.

They continue on in a silence that starts as companionable, but spirals into something discontented and oppressive.

“...Lizards again?” Bokuto murmurs, like he knows better than anyone.

“Not really,” Terushima says, as he feels the words rush to the tip of his tongue as he thinks them louder than he could ever possibly say: _I’ve known you for a few days, but I maybe love you a little, or I could if you give me the chance._

Speaking those feelings into existence, even in the privacy of his mind, forces a certain reality into the things he’s been feeling all night.

The dam that’s been holding it all just behind his lips breaks, and the truth rushes straight out of him.

“Okay,” Terushima says, “honesty time. I’m having a really good time, and I didn’t think I could feel things for people this early on, but I think we just... _fit_ . Like what we have is already something special. God, _fuck_ , this sounds stupid, I’ve known you guys for, like a week tops, but—I feel like if I’ve never been as certain about anything _ever_ as I am about this right now.”

Shit.

He had stopped walking a while ago, and Bokuto and Kuroo have stopped too, turning back to look at him. They’re silent.

_Shit_.

“Sorry,” Terushima chokes, pressing his tongue piercing into the roof of his mouth. “...I know this was supposed to be a casual thing—I mean, hell, you _bought my time_ , but—”

“Oh thank fuck,” Bokuto says on a whooshing sigh. Teru screeches to a halt.

Kuroo nods, and continues for Bokuto. Nothing short of love, Terushima is reminded. “We’ve been having the same feelings all night, really. I was worried about telling you before you said anything because it felt like I, or we, would be forcing ourselves on you, even if we did have real chemistry.”

“We’re all consenting adults, but also pressuring you into something—a second date, maybe—is, like, the _opposite_ of what we want.” Bokuto nods, the near-solemness foreign on his face.

Terushima nods, silent but mind whirling.

“...Are we...doing that? Making you uncomfortable?” Kuroo says, and the guilt in his voice hurts Terushima, punches him right in the stomach. 

“No, no!” Terushima says, then mutters, barely audible, but still louder than he wants, “I guess I just—I...don’t want tonight to end.”

The admittance rings through the clouds of vapor fleeing their mouths, clear, and cold, and true. He awaits their judgement.

“Why does it have to?”

The world falls away, just like that, and Terushima wonders why he ever thought he was alone in this.

* * *

“Teru, be the tiebreaker!”

Terushima looks up from his phone to see Bokuto and Kuroo both leaning towards him excitedly.

“To pick the movie?”

“Yeah, dude!” Bokuto chimes, “ _Holes, Pacific Rim,_ or _The Princess Bride_?”

He thinks it over, putting his phone away. “Mm...I get super into _Pacific Rim,_ like, _too_ into it, _Holes_ is good, but only sexy at super specific parts, so. Does that help?"

Bokuto cheers, and Kuroo nods approvingly. Good to know their opinions are correct. Kuroo hands Bokuto the DVD, and Bokuto darts right over to the PlayStation, pulling _Final Fantasy XV_ out and exchanging it for the right disc.

He rushes back to the couch and totally flings himself in to the tight space between Kuroo and Terushima. Teru giggles as Bokuto makes himself comfy, and doesn’t miss Kuroo’s smile out of the corner of his eye.

The movie starts up with the kid playing his dumb baseball video game, and Teru sighs loudly. “Ah, memories,” he murmurs, snuggling closer into Bokuto’s side.

Kuroo and Bokuto, when faced with engaging media, are surprisingly quiet. Terushima had assumed they would be chatty, laughing and goofing off the whole time, but they only make the occasional remark.

The rope-climbing scene comes along, and just like always, Terushima’s stomach drops just like it always does. He’s never been good with heights, and the dramatic soundtrack definitely doesn’t help any.

“Hey, you okay?” Bokuto murmurs, leaning in. “We can skip this part if you want.”

“No it’s—it’s okay, it’s just hard.” They’re not going to make fun of him for it? Even Terushima feels dumb about it, but they won’t bug him for it?

“...If you’re sure,” says Bokuto, gaze locked on Teru’s expression, reading for any serious discomfort or panic.

In response, Terushima smiles assuredly, and deliberately presses his face into Bokuto’s beefy arm. “I’ll be safe right here,” he says cheekily.

Bokuto bursts out laughing, and moves to put his arm around Terushima’s shoulders. “Why have shoulder when you can have tiddy?” he says, laughter shaking his voice.

Terushima cracks up, before indulging himself. Tiddy soft and warm. Bokuto also smells _really_ good, he suddenly realises, like clean, and a little hairspray, and mostly like whatever laundry detergent he and Kuroo use.

He hears Vizzini cut the rope, and he winces, pressing closer to Bokuto’s chest reflexively. Bo squeezes him, rubbing up and down his arm soothingly. “Gotcha, babe.”

The pet name doesn’t register for a second, but when it does, Terushima sits up, surprised.

“Ah, sorry,” blurts Bokuto, a pink flush crossing his nose. “It’s reflex.”

Terushima smiles slowly, and means it when he says, “It’s okay. I kinda like it.”

The soft smile on Bokuto’s face blooms like a lily after a rainstorm, and Kuroo chuckles on the couch next to them.

“Nerds,” he says, and they all laugh about it together.

Inigo helps the Man in Black up the rest of the way, and they start to duel on the screen, so Kuroo clearly takes this as an invitation. “A duel! For his honor, loyalty, and affections! _En garde!_ ” A pillow is his weapon of choice, and Bokuto is up off the couch between breaths.

“ _En garde!_ ” Bokuto grabs his own pillow, and the two begin what could be loosely described as a pillow fight. It definitely has more similarities to the happenings on the screen behind him than it does to a traditional free-for-all pillow fight.

For one, they’re doing a decent job of matching the choreography behind them. How many times have they seen this movie? Second, they continue with improv after Inigo is downed and knocked out by the Man in Black, until Kuroo trips over a shoe left on the ground, and Bokuto falls into him, laughing.

“Shit, we’re both down!” Kuroo cackles, shoving at Bokuto. “So who won, if we both fell?”

“We could flip for it?” Bokuto produces a coin from his sweats, but Kuroo bats it away.

“No way am I leaving something so special to chance.”

The fondness between them is palpable, to the point that Teru feels a little like he’s intruding.

Bokuto gets this _look_ on his face. “Then, is it fair to say...we both win?”

He shoots a meaningful glance over to Terushima, who finds a laugh bubbling out of his chest. “My heroes,” he hums, and both men on the floor cheer, and climb to their feet.

The first time he kisses Bokuto it’s, quick, sweet, hopeful, it’s with Fezzik saying, “My way’s not very sportsmanlike,” in the background.

The first time for Kuroo, it’s with the swell of music as the Man in Black comes over the horizon in pursuit.

Terushima meets Bokuto again, deeper, and hums when Bokuto gasps, and figures out exactly what Teru’s tongue piercing feels like on the buoyancy of a kiss. Kuroo kisses up his neck, nipping at the smooth skin just shy of his earlobe, and a groan vibrates between the three of them as—

Fezzik throws the boulder he was holding at the Man in Black, and they startle out of kiss number three.

Terushima jumps embarrassingly, bonking his forehead on Bokuto’s nose. “Shit…!”

“Ow. Are you okay?” Bo murmurs, scooting away a little to give Teru some space.

Teru rubs his forehead. “Hell, I should be asking you that!”

Kuroo kisses Terushima on the cheek again. “Ehh, he’s fine. Bo can take a hit. He’s got a skull of steel.”

“Hey—”

The Man in Black has just knocked Fezzik out, and Prince Humperdink appears onscreen, assessing the tracks left by Inigo’s duel with the Man.

The room comes to life near-immediately.

“Ahhh, fuck you asshole!”

“Get the fuck out of here!”

“You’re gross!”

“Stinky, stinky garbage man!”

“Butthead!”

Terushima laughs for six years straight, and the room goes quiet once more. He stops to catch his breath, but Kuroo’s and Bokuto’s expressions keep him from starting again.

“What?”

Kuroo smiles slowly, not his usual teeth-baring grin, but something just as soft and sweet as the first kiss they shared. “You’re just...you’re really beautiful, you know?”

Bokuto nods vigorously, and Terushima can feel the heat rising off his own cheeks. “You can’t just say shit like that...I wasn’t ready…”

He hides his face in Bokuto’s arm again, and they both laugh before settling back in to finish the movie.

* * *

The next thing Terushima remembers is the main menu repeating. He sits up slightly, eyes first going to the glowing lights of the DVD player—3:26 AM—and then to the two boys curled around him. Bokuto is at his side, head tipped back onto the couch, and Kuroo is laying across their laps, one of Bokuto’s hands buried in his hair. 

They make quite the pair like this, snuggled up like a pair of cats in a sunbeam, and Terushima is struck, momentarily.

The lizards start again— _t_ _hey just want sex, they’re bored of you already, why did you ever think they’d care about_ you _of all people when they’re so amazing_ —but Terushima shuts them up.

_They’re here, and allowing me to be, because they trust me, and care about me already. Yes the feelings came quickly, but we’re conscious of each other’s boundaries, and fast doesn’t necessarily mean_ bad _or_ wrong _. As long as we go into this intentionally, then there’s no issue._

His breathing has sped up in the standoff against his inner demons, and it wakes Kuroo, who sits up blearily.

“Mm...Teru? You ‘kay?” He’s adorable, warm and sleepy-slow. He sees the clock himself, and Kuroo shakes himself. “Shit, sorry. We passed out apparently.”

“It’s okay,” Teru whispers, trying not to rouse Bokuto, “I can go.”

“You—” Kuroo bites his lip in the half-light of the streetlamps outside. “...You don’t have to. Don’t wanna push or make you uncomfortable, but...you’re welcome to stay if you want to.”

“Yeah, man,” says Bokuto, who apparently has woken up, spooking the shit out of both Kuroo and Terushima.

They stare in silence for a moment before huffing out quiet chuckles.

“Let’s go to bed,” Terushima murmurs, a smile on his face, and they lead him to bed, sleepy smiles matching his as the door shuts quietly, and the DVD’s main menu theme plays yet again.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Terushima opens his straw real slowly, ready to ambush his target across the table. Kuroo stares down at the breakfast menu, a notch of concentration engraved between his eyebrows.

_Locked on._

He blows into the straw, and the wrapper goes exactly where he wants it, smacking into Kuroo’s cheek with a papery noise.

The sound Kuroo makes is a combination of a Wilhelm and a screech owl, and it sends Terushima spiraling into an especially rambunctious fit of laughter. They get told off by their waiter, but it’s worth it anyway.

Kuroo’s pancakes look good, but Bokuto’s French Toast looks even better, so Teru leans over, mouth open in request.

Bokuto cuts him a small piece, placing it on his piercing, and kissing the corner of Teru’s mouth when it closes around the bite.

Terushima smiles as he chews; the sweetness of the food is good, but Bokuto is so much more than just _sweet_.

Kuroo pouts until Bokuto kisses him too, and then they’re all really digging in, stealing pieces off each others plates, batting each other away, trading plates entirely, throwing napkins at each other. They’re kind of a mess, but clean up as best they can, and tip their server extra for the trouble.

Even though it’s cheap breakfast as a hole-in-the-wall diner, it’s the best meal Terushima has had in a long time, and he suspects that maybe he isn’t the only one.

He hasn’t been alone yet—why would he be now?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bo's chat nickname is a ref to a 00's heat player that i just couldnt resist

If he’s honest, Terushima’s own expectations are starting to get to him.

Communication would simplify things greatly, he thinks, but of course, the answer is what scares him to begin with, so staying quiet is easier.

They go on a bunch more dates, mostly casual, dinner, studying together, little things in between their stupid-busy schedules. It’s...not always as easy as Terushima would like to remember that Kuroo and Bokuto aren’t just with him for a good lay.

He’s so used to his past boyfriends wanting to take that particular step early and often, but that doesn’t seem to carry over either of them.

The first week goes by, a misty cloud of expectation, but they never make a move. Week two has another dinner date, along with a movie, and ice cream after despite the cold weather, but they just drop him off at his apartment at the mention of homework.

By the third week, Terushima is getting a little nervous. He could, like, talk to them about it, but being an adult is hard, and he’s not in the mood to ruin what they have.

“Hey babe!”

Terushima is shaken away from the book he’s reading, perched in a study nook in a quiet corner of the library. Bokuto bounds over, the sunlight through the foggy window lighting his amber-gold eyes breathtakingly. Kuroo trails behind, and he’s got a cardboard drink carrier and three pastry bags from the coffee shop in the lobby.

“Hey,” Kuroo murmurs with a smile, the shadow to Bokuto’s sun, and sits in one of the chairs next to Teru, handing him one of the drinks with a kiss on the cheek

“For me?” Terushima asks, as his chest swells up with the affection he feels for these boys.

Kuroo’s smile grows, his eyes crinkling as he takes a sip from his own cup. “Of course. Gotta make sure our genius boyfriend has proper sustenance.”

Terushima laughs, shoving lightly at Kuroo’s shoulder. “Genius? Gimme a break.”

Bokuto’s smile hasn’t wavered once. “Totally, babe! Kuroo read me the proof of the paper you’re studying for, and it’s really good!!”

Terushima isn’t used to this—compliments, taken with warm drinks in one of his favorite places on campus—and it overwhelms him for just a moment.

“Aww, he’s blushing,” Kuroo says, eyebrow quirking, fierce grin at his lips. “He’s cute, ain’t he, Bo?”

Bokuto is less beacon of sunlight, and more the slow heat of a summer sunset, now. “Cute and smart? What’re we gonna do with ourselves?”

Teru’s constant internal monologue fizzles out for a moment, as the heat becomes even more apparent in his cheeks.

“At least take me to dinner first,” is what he says, and it draws laughter from both Kuroo and Bokuto.

“If you want, yeah,” Bokuto says, and his tone makes both Kuroo and Terushima chuckle, because blasé is one of the only emotions Bo can’t pull off.

Of course, their laughter spurs a good pout from Bokuto as he sulks, cheeks puffed out and brow lowered. Terushima honestly can’t handle how cute he is.

“You’re cute,” Kuroo says, a smile in his voice, and wow, they’re on the same page with this at least.

Terushima goes back to his apartment later to make dinner while Kuroo and Bokuto are in their shared evening class—something psychology-related. He's only making a simple fried rice with some leftover curry from a few nights ago, but it’s hearty and leaves him feeling warm and content.

 _What kind of college student am I,_ he thinks idly, chuckling into the silence of his apartment, _I must be getting old, if this is my ideal evening._

Terushima was all about the partying thing back during his freshman year, when he wasn’t of age yet, but it’s been quite a while since he’s done anything like that.

An idea strikes, and he drops a message into the group chat.

**gay disasters not-so-anonymous**

_**teruteruteru** : yo i got an idea _

Terushima knows they’re still in class, so he doesn’t expect a response right away, but one comes anyway.

_**BIRDMAN** : oh HELL yeah babe u have the best ideas _

_**teruteruteru** : lol arent u supposed to b in class _

_**BIRDMAN** : mmmmmmmmmmmaybe (￣◇￣;) but i wanna talk to u _

_**irlnyancat** : yeah bo arent you supposed to be in class??? _

Kuroo too? Damn, class must really be boring then.

_**BIRDMAN** : u shut ur whore mouth BITCH i love u _

_**irlnyancat** : those are some uhhhh _

_**irlnyancat** : conflicting signals u got there bro _

_**BIRDMAN** : yeah well im a complex and delicate person so what do u want from me _

_**teruteruteru** : shhhhh lemme tell u my idea _

_**teruteruteru** : we _

_**teruteruteru** : should _

_**teruteruteru** : go _

_**irlnyancat** : home _

_**BIRDMAN** : SLEDDING _

_**teruteruteru** : fine i wont tell u then _

_**irlnyancat** : nO PLS DIDNT MEAN IT _

_**BIRDMAN** : we’ll stop sorry babe _

_**teruteruteru** : … _

_**teruteruteru** : … _

_**teruteruteru** : ok thank u _

_**teruteruteru** : we should go to a rave _

The chat devolves into caplocked assent from Bokuto and Kuroo, so they make plans for Friday after class.

* * *

Teru has been picking out his outfit for the last hour at least, and it’s...not going well. He wants too many things—to look sexy, but not too slutty, and ostentatious, but without overdoing it, and—well.

He’s settled on a pair of gold Rocky Horror booty shorts, and literally nothing else.

Eventually, he hears a knock at the front door, and to avoid embarrassing himself too badly, he checks the peephole before opening the door just enough.

His two boyfriends slide inside, and their jaws are on the floor at the exact moment they see what (and how little) Terushima is wearing. They aren’t ready, for the club, or for Teru, apparently.

“Oh shiiiiii—” Bokuto starts, but Kuroo waves a hand in his face, and are those tears in his eyes.

“Blessed,” he whispers, dropping a duffel bag to the floor, and Teru knows he looks good, but he didn’t think it was _that_ good.

“Okay, so.” Terushima has _things to do_ , and regardless of how cute he is like this, it’s actually kind of chilly without any added layers, so they must reach a _decision_ , dammit. “I like these shorts, but I need you to help me figure out the rest of it.”

“Uhh,” Bokuto blurts, eyes glued firmly to Teru’s pecs, where a silver barbel runs through each of his nipples.

Oh. Interesting.

Also, _not the time_ , thanks.

Terushima crosses his arms in frustration—he’d love to follow that particular train of attention, but, really, if they don’t get going soon, then the entry fee wouldn’t even be worth it. “Babes. Please.”

Kuroo wipes away his tears—damn, there were actual tears involved, impressive—and drops into business mode near-instantaneously. “Okay. What do you want to showcase?”

* * *

“Damn, okay,” Bokuto says, eyes comically wide.

“People always say ‘ _only one metallic_ ,’ but I think they’re just secretly cowards.” Kuroo smirks at his handiwork, lips parting slightly.

Terushima spins in front of the mirror, shorts gleaming among the array of gold and silver that his boyfriends have plastered him with. A black cropped hoodie marks the centerpiece, with gold racing stripes up the side-seams and sleeves. Bokuto picked out a silver choker, the kind with the heart ring in the middle, as well as some chunky silver bangles and bracelets. Teru’s makeup’s all cute too, silver transitioning to gold smoothly over his lids, a wicked curve of black at his lashes, and a demure dark dusty rose on his lips. Terushima has no idea how Kuroo got his highlighter to shine the way it does, but there’s extra glitter there, and at the dip between his collarbones. Even his shoes will fit the aesthetic when they finish drying—a shitty pair of all-black knockoff Chuck Taylors treated with a truly spectacular amount of silver and gold paint, so each side panel gleams like a piece of tin foil.

Oh. And, uh, the fishnets.

“I don’t think this qualifies as ‘not slutty’ though,” Terushima murmurs. He’s not usually vain, but has his ass always looked that good?

Kuroo laughs, “Babe, the second you whipped out the Rocky Horror shorts, you absolved yourself of any semblance of holding back. This is your own doing.”

Considering, Terushima bites a lip. He likes the way the look came together, but it’s definitely a little over the top. Is it worth it? His palette isn’t too ostentatious, but taken with the pieces he’s using, it hits a little hard.

“Don’t overthink it!” Bokuto waves a hand dramatically, his other hand coming to rest between Terushima’s shoulder-blades. Teru frowns slightly. He can tell Bo is holding back, and it sits strangely with him. Now that he’s looking for it, both his boyfriends are tense in ways that are only slightly unfamiliar.

 _He_ just said _don’t overthink it,_ Terushima reminds himself, but with this much exposed skin and so many...daring fashion choices...it’s hard to keep that to the forefront of his mind.

He settles for, “You guys are being weird. Is it...is it too much? Should I change?”

“Nope!” “Please don’t.”

The other two speak at almost the same time, like it’s punched out of them, and Terushima is even more confused. He has a feeling his expression says as much, because Kuroo shakes his head vehemently, a man possessed, and Bokuto is pleading Teru with his gaze.

“No, really babe, you look—”

“—You’re gorgeous, and we—”

“—It’s just—”

“—This is all us, you don’t have to—”

The realisation dawns on Terushima like the slow spread of watercolor over parchment.

They’re _attracted_ to him, and _self-conscious_ about it.

“Oh my _god,_ ” is what he says aloud, because he’s a science and logic type person, and words have never been his strong suit.

Kuroo looks so sheepish, but it’s ruined a bit by the blush that’s flaming at his cheekbones and ears.

Fuck, he’s so cute.

“Sorry, uh,” he says, eyes never meeting Terushima’s, “we know you sometimes react like you’re not comfortable with people being sexually attracted to you, and we don’t want to overwhelm you or—so, um—”

Terushima’s jaw drops. Their behavior has been because they thought he didn’t want that? It’s so sweet his jaw hurts a little, but the conclusion just isn’t right.

“I thought you were humoring me,” Teru blurts, “because you didn’t try to get me into bed right away. But now—”

“ _No._ ” The earnestness in Bokuto’s voice breaks Terushima’s heart a little. “That’s not—We were pulling back because we didn’t want to spook you. We were waiting for you to make the first move, so we knew we weren’t coming on too strong. And you never moved, so we thought—”

“—We thought you might be ace, or demi, or something.”

Teru’s the one for vehement denial now. “Holy shit, no. The opposite, really.”

Silence falls around them for a moment, their collective lack of communication hovering like an over-thick fog around their ears.

“Fuck,” Bo breaks it first. “If we didn’t have plans, then I’d have my way with you right now—”

Kuroo has this _look_ , and it sets Teru’s stomach aflutter. He’s nodding, eyes dragging over every bit of exposed skin he can find. They both look hungry, and he can almost feel their gazes on him, at the curve of his neck, and the exposed jut of his hip, his thigh where it disappears into his shorts, the pink of his lips.

Bokuto has always been tactile, and Terushima’s expecting it when he’s the first one to touch. His hands are searing through the thin spandex as he palms Teru’s ass like it’s all he can think about it. “I’m so serious, babe, you’ve been making me sweat since day one—”

“—You have _no_ room to talk, mister.” Teru thinks back to their first date, when Bo came out of the shower, hair damp, body barely covered by his towel, and he has to push Bokuto away before they have a _situation_ on their hands. “You two need to go get ready before I’m too tempted to waste money and cash in on all the sex I could’ve been getting.”

Kuroo looks sorely tempted, but Terushima frowns. Getting this look together has taken time, and he’s not going to waste it by staying inside, no matter how embarrassed he is. “I’m going to check on my shoes. _Go get ready,_ Tetsu.” He shoves the duffel Kuroo brought at them for good measure.

Kuroo chuckles at that, and pulls Bo away, taking the bag with him. “Just a kiss, please?”

Teru feels a little sassy, because he wants to get going, so he kisses each of them on the cheek instead of giving them what he knows they want.

Bokuto pouts, but Kuroo gives Teru a look. “Don’t worry, Kou,” he murmurs, “he’ll give us what we want a little later.”

Terushima shivers, and gets his shoes, dry now, as both his boyfriends disappear into the bathroom.

The reemergence is worth everything to Teru, because Kuroo’s got earrings in, a tighter croptop than Terushima’s sweatshirt, and track pants that make his legs look even longer than they are (a true accomplishment, that boy has a _lot_ of leg). Bokuto has a very frat-boy vibe with his ripped loose jeans and short chain necklace, with one of those tank tops that have the sides way open, showing off the muscled lengths of his torso on either side of the graphic on the front. Terushima thinks it’s for a band—it has one of those looks to it—but he doesn’t know for sure.

To cut to the chase, Teru doesn’t feel so self-conscious, standing next to them when they also have that look to them.

“Ooh, I almost forgot!” Kuroo bends over to where he dropped the now-mostly-empty duffel when they came out, and now that Terushima is looking for the signs of arousal, he can see them like spotlights. Bokuto is an ass man, he thinks, and has good reason to be, with what Kuroo’s hiding under that lanky frame of his. Volleyball tends to do people favors, and Kuroo is no exception.

“Glowsticks!” Kuroo whips the package out of the bag, and starts picking a few colors out, standing up again.

Terushima quickly figures out, with Kuroo’s hands on him, that two will make a necklace, and four will sit at his waistline like a belt. Bokuto drops down to his knees for a moment, and it steals his breath, but it’s only to loop one of the long ones around Teru’s ankle for him. Bo kisses his kneecap on the way up, and Terushima is swept up with fondness for just a moment.

He likes them so damn much, what the hell.

They’re all decked out, so they wince down a shot of pregame whiskey each, call the Uber, and go.

* * *

Terushima feels much less ostentatious when they get there. It feels much more normal to look the way he does, when there are other people dressed just as ostentatiously and moreso.

That doesn’t stop the wandering eyes that he can feel like physical touches up and down his spine.

After they flash their prepaid tickets at the door, they get in line for drinks at the bar. There’s a lot of people, but the line’s quick, so it’s easy enough. They start with another shot, and that has the heat really settling comfortably in Teru’s stomach. Then, a rum and coke each as they step away, and drink number three goes down easy.

Damn, his boyfriends are sexy.

 _Shit,_ _I forgot I’m a horny drunk,_ he thinks, lids low.

Bokuto laughs, and Kuroo smirks, and damn he totally said that aloud, didn’t he.

“Well, let’s get your groove on, and have our fun.” Bokuto can have a devilish smile, when he wants to. 

Terushima lays a sloppy kiss on the corner of his mouth, and grabs each of his boyfriends’ hands. “Let’s go.”

* * *

It’s so loud inside, but Teru never expected anything different. There’s lights and fog machines and people dancing on small stages at the back of the room near a DJ booth, and it’s a lot to be taken in all at once. Moving under the spell of neon lights, glowsticks, decent drinks, and the steady beat of EDM has never been so good. Tetsu and Kou’s steady presence at his sides just helps everything along.

The music transitions from a frantic pulse to something a little more sultry, with the dirty grind of sex appeal in the rhythm. It pulls a groan from Terushima with little effort, and he’s lucky it’s so damn loud in here that there’s little chance anyone has heard him.

He feels hands on his hips anyway, and maybe he wasn’t as quiet as he thought.

Kuroo flips in front of him, as Bokuto moves in behind, and it’s like a dream come true, as they grind close, pressing fingers, lips, teeth anywhere Teru will let them (there is nothing Teru won’t let them have, if they ask nice and pretty).

Bo’s teeth sink into the pale of his skin right under the collar of his hoodie, and Terushima yelps, back arching and head and hips tip back into Bokuto’s steady, muscled form. Kuroo takes advantage, and he kisses Teru on the mouth, hot and wet, before his affections travel the full expanse of his neck. Fuck, they want it just as bad as he does.

The sting at Teru’s collarbone when Bokuto pulls back is just as intoxicating as the pulse of music around him, and Kuroo kisses him full on the mouth. It’s so _much,_ with everything around them, but Terushima doesn’t know how being overwhelmed like this would be a bad thing. He’s overflowing with energy, and he can feel it in himself, in the way he moves and breathes and _everything_ right now.

Of course, it might be the alcohol talking, but he feels it nonetheless.

Kuroo pulls away, eyes dark, and Teru’s mouth smiles, still lost in a daze that trails after Tetsu’s heat.

Bokuto’s hands squeeze at Terushima’s hips, and suddenly what he has isn’t enough anymore.

Teru spins between them, and he lays his lips against Kou’s like a man possessed, driven by everything he’s held back in their months together. Tetsu’s long fingers replace Bo’s at his hips, and, damn, he’s already as worked up as Terushima is. It’s hard to get enough of these boys when he’s been thirsting for so long, with them (needlessly) just out of reach.

They kiss like that through the rest of the DJ’s set, and maybe Terushima would feel bad about that later, but his now is full consumed with the thready hum of arousal spurred by the drinks he’s had. He smiles up at them both, as the music fades into something slightly more nondescript, a bridge while the next artist begins setup.

“Wanna grab another before the bar lines get bad?” Kuroo seems to have his best interests at heart.

Bokuto nods along, but he doesn’t move his face from where it’s pressed against the curve of Teru’s neck. Terushima runs a careful hand down the side of Bo’s face with a tenderness he doesn’t expect from himself, and his boyfriend lifts his head, face warm and eyes droopy.

“Sleepy?” Terushima murmurs, and Bokuto startles.

“N-no! Just—uh—” His blush is cute, Teru thinks, smiling broadly.

“It’s coming up on 1:30AM, so that makes sense,” Kuroo says, patting Bokuto’s shoulder. “You were up early this morning, too.”

Bo pouts, cute like this too. “I want another drink, at least. We should stay a little longer.”

“I’m down if you both are,” Terushima says, and when they both nod, he pulls them carefully by the wrists back to the bar.

It’s swarmed with people, as is the nature of shows like this, and they’re forced to stand very close together in order not to be separated. Kuroo’s grip has moved down to interlace his fingers with Teru’s, squeezing back whenever Terushima does. Bokuto’s hand lies just under the belt of glowsticks at Teru’s waist, and the intimacy of having them both so close, and quiet despite the noise around them pulls at something deep in Terushima’s chest.

On their first date, he had thought he could love them, if they gave him the chance. Now, he knows it’s no longer a future possibility.

It rings in his mind with the buzz of _present certain truth_. He loves them, without an inch of doubt in him.

 _Well, that didn’t take very long at all,_ he thinks, and presses forward to laugh into Kuroo’s arm.

“What?” Kuroo looks at him like how Terushima feels, and Bokuto squeezes his side gently.

He really _isn’t_ alone.

“Nothing,” Teru says, smile stifling his words. “I’ll tell you later.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


_epilogue_

When he tells them, about a week of twiddling thumbs and electric silence later, Bokuto cries.

Kuroo smiles like it’s the best day of his life.

“How the hell did we manage that?” he murmurs, voice quivering with tears that he swears are Bokuto’s fault.

Terushima doesn’t even bother trying to deny that he’s crying too. Why would he, when his smile’s just as bright? “Honestly? It was only a matter of time.”

Bokuto laughs, relief and bliss in the round link of his cheeks. “We couldn’t deserve you if we tried.”

Teru shakes his head, taking each of their hands in his. “I can’t speak on whether or not you deserve me, but...just know, I plan on sticking around as long as you’ll have me. You’re both amazing, and I want to support you with everything I have.”

Love has made him soft in some ways, and strong in others. It takes his breath as soon as it returns it, and starts and stops his heart at will.

“I’ll be here, till the end of the line,” he murmurs, and the tears start up again, but they’ve never felt more whole.


End file.
